Sarah Chang, one of the most recognizable violinists playing in concert today, is one of a very few professional figures to be recognized as a child prodigy.

Her official debut was with the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra at age 8, in 1989, but the city of Boulder and its professional orchestra can claim that "we heard her here first."

Chang certainly has fond memories of her debut.

"I have such a special place in my heart for Boulder," she recalled. "The city (along with the orchestra) gave me an opportunity when I was just 7 years old.

"This was before I had made my official debut with the New York Philharmonic, before I made my first recording, before I had really done anything to make a name for myself.

"I was so young that I traveled with both my parents and my teacher to my Boulder performance."

In the ensuing years, Chang has returned to Boulder to play with the Phil a few times, but she will make her debut with current director Michael Butterman on Saturday, Jan. 12, at Macky Auditorium.

"We're excited to have her return," Butterman said. "We're always thrilled to work with an artist of her caliber."

Chang comes to Boulder after an Asian tour at the end of 2012.

"It is absolutely crazy but wonderful," Chang said of her professional life. "I play about 100 concerts a year, so I am constantly on the road, in airplanes, living out of hotels, rehearsing, performing, doing interviews, in meetings, etc.

Sarah Chang performed with the Boulder Philharmonic before making her 1989 debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 8. (Colin Bell/Under license to EMI Classics/ Courtesy photo )

"My blackberry is firmly and sadly attached to my body at all times. I try to have as much of a personal life as possible, but finding that balance isn't easy."

Nor has she picked an easy work to play in the past year -- the Violin Concerto by American composer Samuel Barber, a beloved piece but a relatively new one for Chang.

"I absolutely love the Barber," Chang said. "I only started performing it last year. I love the sharp contrast of the beautiful, lyrical first two movements and the monstrous, technical whirlwind that is the third movement.

"The piece is deceptively simple in its structure but fiendishly complicated and tricky ensemble-wise."

Butterman also commented on the notorious disconnect between the first two movements and the finale.

"It really feels like the last movement comes out of nowhere," he said. "The dedicatee supposedly told Barber that he needed something more challenging after seeing the first two movements.

"Once you get going, it cranks along, but the challenge is to remain in synch with the soloist and not get bogged down."

The Barber concerto is a relatively brief work, so Butterman used the opportunity to pair it with a large late romantic symphony by Anton Bruckner, a composer not yet featured by the Phil in Butterman's tenure.

Bruckner is known for symphonies that take some time to unfold and require patience.

Butterman said the Fourth Symphony is a good introduction to the composer for an audience that might be less familiar with his work.

"You have to approach Bruckner on his own terms," Butterman said. "I for one am struck by how organ-like his music is. He treats sections of the orchestra like the ranks and registration of an organ."

The Fourth Symphony is called the "Romantic," largely because of its evocative writing for horns in the first and third movements. The third movement is a "hunting" scherzo that ends with blazing brass.

"I hope the horn players are more excited than apprehensive," Butterman said. "I'm really anxious to dig into Bruckner.

"It's a massive sound with a solid orchestral presence, and it doesn't require as large an orchestra as Mahler or Stravinsky."

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